Flexible sheetlike odor-adsorbent bodies and method of producing same



Sept. 28, 1954 SHULER 2,690,415

FLEXIBLE SHEETLIKE ODOR-ADSQRBENT BODIES AND METHOD OF PRODUCING SAMEFiled Feb. 2, 1951 INVENTOR fied'erz'ckA ,S'ZZuZer ATTORNEY PatentedSept. 28, 1954 IE STATES PATENT OFFICE FLEXEBLE SHEETLIKE ODOR ADSORBENTBODIES AND METHOD OF SAME PRODUCING 3 Claims.

The present invention relates generally to deodorant or odor-adsorbentmediums, and more particularly to an improved flexible sheet-like bodyfor use as an odor-adsorbent medium, such as a bandage, surgicaldressing, blanket, or the like, employed in covering odoriferous wounds,decayed corpses, or other noxious bodies, and as catainenial bandages.

The present application is a continuation-inpart of my co-pending patentapplication Serial Number 732,837 filed March 6, 1947, entitledFiltering Media, now United States Patent No. 2,544,733 issued March 13,1951.

I am, aware that the prior art discloses catamenial bandages comprisinga plurality of layers of soft, pliable, fibrous material between whichis interposed a mass or layer of deodoriaing material, such as calciumhypochlorite and the like. A specific example of such type of bandage isdisclosed in United States Patent No. 2,066,946 to Reiman, dated January5, 1.937. However, prior bandages of this type have met with littlecommercial success due to several marked. disadvantages. The primaryobjection and undesirable feature of bandages which contain powdered orrelatively finely divided chemical compositions stems from the inabilityof such bandages to maintain the odor-adsorbent medium in permanentlydispersed position throughout the effective area of the bandage ordressing. Fur ther, bandages of this type are generally characterized byundesirable bulges and relatively thick regions created by the siftingoi the odoradsorbent medium carried therein. into localized areas or"the bandage, or, alternatively, by a permanent confinement of suchchemicals in a bulky mass within the bandage.

The efliciency of such materials as activated carbon, silica gel, andactivated alumina in the capacity of odor-adsorbent mediums has longbeen recognized, but the primary difficulty encountered in using suchmaterials stems from the diiliculty in uniformly dispersing suchmaterials in order to obtain ehicient results from the odoradsorbentcharacteristics of the i laterial. It will be understood that bandagesor dressings intended for use in connection with the human body mustpossess light weight characteristics, be soft and pliable to preventchafing of affected areas, and must, at the same time, be porous orfiuid-pervious.

It follows, therefore, that the primary object of the present inventionis to provide an iinproved and efiicient odor-adsorbent flexiblesheetlike body which may be used in the capacity of a bandage, dressing,blanket, or the like to adsorb odors emanating from gangrenous wounds,decayed flesh, or glandular excretions, and wherein such body containsone or more layers of granular odor-adsorbent material uniformlydispersed throughout the body and secured therein against displacementby means of a perinanently pliable adhesive.

Another object of the invention is to provide an odor-adsorbentsheet-like body which is con structed so as to be soft and pliable totouch, and in a manner to prevent abrading of the odor-adsorbent mediumcarried within the sheet-like body when the body is folded or Yetanother object of the invention is to provide an eflicient andeconomical method of producing odor-adsorbent bandages, dressings,blankets, and the like containing one or more layers of dispersedgranular odor-adsorbent material o adhesively secured therein, andwherein steps are taken to prevent substantial impairment to theover-all fluid-pervious and porous characteristics of the sheet-likebody.

For a further and more detailed understand ing of the present inventionand the various additional objects and advantages realized therefrom,reference is made to the following description and the accompanyingdrawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an odor-adsorbent surgical dressing orbandage formed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical sectional view taken along aplane indicated by the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional taken along the line 2-3 ofFig. l

Fig. 4 is a detailed vertical sectional View on a still larger scaletaken through an intermediate sector of the bandage;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view showing in detail the discreet disposition ofthe adhesive upon the open-mesh supporting web of the bandage.

Referring now to the drawing, which illustrative of but a singlepreferred form of the invention, constituting an odor-adsorbent surgicaldressing or bandage, the numeral is designates a single web of open-meshflexible woven material, such as is commonly referred to as surgicalgauze, and which is formed from cotton fibers or other suitable fibrousmaterial. As sho particularly in Fig. 5 of the drawing, the m of gauzeis of open-mesh construction provided by relatively wide spacing betweenthe in dividual weft and warp strands, and is provided in the regionsthereof where the weft and warp strands overlap one another withdiscreet particles or masses of a permanently pliable adhesive H. Theadhesive ll may be applied to the gauze web Ill in any suitable manner,such as by spraying, brushing, or rolling the adhesive onto the web, orby dipping the web it in the adhesive when the latter is in a liquid orplastic state, and thereafter permitting the adhesive to partially dryor cure to a relatively tacky state and accumulate only at the junctureareas of the weft and warp cords of the gauze web Ill. Alternatively;after immersing the gauze web it within a liquid form of adhesive, theweb may be disposed in the path of a forced air jet to expedite thepartial evaporation of the solvent contained in, the adhesive, and toforcibly blow that portion of the adhesive occupying the interstices ofthe gauze web Ill from between the individual weft and warp strands ofthe gauze and into adherence with the overlying areas of the strandsonly. In this manner, the disposition of the adhesive upon the gauze webit does not substantially impair the over-all porosity or fluidperviousnature of the gauze, and permits the free flow of fluids through thegauze containing the particles of the adhesive only in the overlappingregions of the weft and warp strands thereof. It will here be understoodthat the adhesive H must be of a non-toxic type which is permanentlypliable or flexible to some degree, in order that the gauze web it willretain its natural flexibility. In this respect, I have found itadvantageous to employ a wateremulsion asphaltic type of adhesive, orone of the synthetic resinous or latex base adhesives using solvents orplasticizers that may be easily evaporated or driven oif by heattreatment of the adhesive after application to the gauze web Ill. Aswill be hereinafter more fully explained, the adhesive I l must be of acharacter or type which is devoid of solvents or plasticizersconstituting relatively non-volatile oils for which the odor adsorbentmaterial, such as activated carbon, silica gel, or alumina, has a highaffinity. In this connection, I have found that a water-emulsionasphaltic cement or adhesive is best suited for the purposes of thisinvention, in view of the fact that water carried within the cement asan emulsifying or plasticizing agent may be readily driven oif byevaporation under normal or rela r tively elevated temperatureconditions from the adhesive, leaving the same in a substantiallypermanently pliable and tacky condition and disposed upon the overlyingareas of the weft and warp strands of gauze web It. Also, water carriedby the adhesive, while being initially absorbed by the odor-adsorbentmedium, will be readily given up by such medium in the presence of otherliquids or gases for which the medium has a high preferential affinity.

After applying the adhesive M, and insuring that the same does not fillthe interstices of the gauze web Hi, I then apply a layer of granulatedodor-adsorbent material I2 to the adhesivecoated areas of the gauze,preferably in the form of granulated activated carbon. The size of thegranules of odor-adsorbent material may vary within limits, but I havefound it preferable to use granules of the order of 30 to 50 mesh size.The odor-adsorbent material in its granular form may be sprayed orsprinkled upon the adhesive-containing areas of the inner gauze web Iton one or both sides thereof, or the adhesivecontaining web may bepassed through a mass of the granular material to cause adherence be- 4tween the individual granules of odor-adsorbent material and thediscreet particles of adhesive. Following the initial application of thegranular odor-adsorbent material to the gauze web it, excess granules ofthe odor-adsorbent material which are not adhered to the adhesive areremoved from the web 10 by agitating, shaking, or brushing the same,leaving only a relatively thin but dense layer of the odor-adsorbentmaterial covering the web It. Due to the granular form of theodor-adsorbent material, the same does not completely close theinterstices of the web it, but permits fluid circulation through the weband through and between the individual granules of the material.

Following application of the adhesive and the layer of odor-adsorbentmaterial to the inner gauze web It, which has preferably been maintainedin a flat condition, the web it is folded transversely around aplurality of plies or layers of adsorbent and fluid-pervious fibrousmaterial 53 which provides a soft and pliable cushioning layer betweenthe separate folded layers of the web ii] to prevent undesired abradingof the granules or particles of odor-adsorbent material carried upon theouter surfaces of the .12;) Hi. If desired, the mating marginal edgeportions of the web It may be overlapped and joined, as at M, to providea double layer envelope within the bandage, with the individual layersbeing maintained in spaced relation by the intermediate plies i3 foldedbetween the layers of the web Hi. In this manner, it will be seen thatthe plurality of separate layers of odor-adsorbent material may bepositioned within the bandage, in vertically spaced order throughoutsubstantially the entire area thereof, while at the same time preventingthe possibility of undesired abrading of the granular particles disposedon the web it] and the consequent detachment thereof from the supportingweb.

After the folding of the gauze web is oontaining the granularodor-adsorbent material and the interpositioning of the cushioning plies[3 to form a core section, the same is preferably wrapped into severalplies of soft adsorbent fibrous material, such as unglazed tissue paperor fibrous gauze [5, to provide an outer covering for the web H), thelayers of granular odor-adsorbent material [2, and the cushioning plies53. This may easily be accomplished by employing a single sheet ofadsorbent paper material or gauze, and by loosely winding such singlesheet in successive layers about the folded gauze web it, maintaining asubstantially flat and rectangular configuration within the bandage. Thefree end portion of the sheet or web 15 constituting the outer coveringmaterial may, if desired, be united with an underlying layer of thesheet by of a relatively narrow strip of adhesive tape, such as is shownat l 6. Also, if desired, the open end portions of the bandage may beclosed in any suitable manner, such as by applying other strips ofadhesive tape similar to that shown at 58 over the respective open endsof the ca lage. However, due to the adherence of the indivi l. granulesof odor-adsorbent material to the inner web 10, the same are preventedfrom spilling outwardly through the ends of the bandage, and I havefound that it is possible to cut a relatively large sheet-like body intosmaller segments both transversely and longitudinally without fear ofdisassembling the separate plies comprising the bandage.

It will be understood that the outer covering may be formed from anysuitable fibrous material, and may constitute one or more layers ofcotton gauze, unglazed tissue paper, or a relatively large envelope ofwool fabric in cases where the body is to be used as a blanket or sheetin covering the entire human body. It is, however, prerequisite that thecovering material be of a fluid-pervious nature to permit circulation ofair through the successive plies or layers of material.

In making bandages and surgical dressings in accordance with thisinvention, I have found it preferable to employ a substantiallycontinuous sheet as the inner gauze web I0 which may be taken from aroll and passed continuously through a vat or receptacle containing theadhesive II in a liquid or plastic form to apply the adhesive to the webThereafter, the web may be subjected to forced air blasts to removeexcess adhesive from the interstices of the web and to position theadhesive in discreet particles or masses at the overlying areas of theweft and warp strands of the web. Thereafter, the web l0 may be passedcontinuously beneath a hopper having a sifting discharge opening todisperse the granular odor-adsorbent medium over the entire area of theweb for adherence with the particles of adhesive carried on the web ID.The excess of the odor-adsorbent material, which does not adhere to theadhesive, may be removed from the web by agitation, and a plurality oflayers or plies of cushioning material, indicated at I3, placed upon thesurface of the web containing the granular medium and the assemblyfolded transversely upon itself to form the inner odor-adsorbent corefor disposition within the plurality of layers comprising the outercovering of the bandage or blanket, as such may be the case. In thismanner, a substantially continuous operation is provided in theformation of relatively large sheet-like bodies which may be thereafterdivided into smaller segments for use as individual bandages ordressings.

In view of the foregoing, it will be seen that the present inventionprovides an improved and efiicient odor-adsorbent flexible sheet-likebody in which is contained one or more layers of granular odor-adsorbentmaterial, and through which gases may pass to contact the layers ofodor-adsorbent material for the purpose of re-- moving objectionableodors carried in, or comprising, such gases. Bandages, drawings,blankets, and the like formed in accordance with the present inventionare characterized by their ability to carry the odor-adsorbent medium ina uniformly dispersed state throughout the entire area of the sheet-likebody, and in view of the adherence of the individual granules of odor-adsorbent material to the supporting web, such granules are prevented frombecoming displaced or sifting into relatively bulky masses in the end orcorner regions of the sheet-like body, thereby preventing impairment ofthe odor-adsorbent characteristics of the body. A further advantage tothe present construction results from the ability of the bandage to besterilized without impairing the odor-adsorbent characteristics thereof,and where granulated activated carbon is employed as an odor-adsorbentmedium, the same, through natural phenomena, readily gives up watervapor in the presence of noxious gases or other liquids for which thecarbon has a higher preferential afiinity.

I claim:

1. A soft, pliable, sheet-like body for use as an odor adsorbent mediumcomprising an openmesh fluid-pervious web of flexible absorbentmaterial; a substantially permanently flexible adhesive disposed indiscreet areas on at least one side of said web and arranged to preventimpairment to the fluid-pervious quality of said web; a layer ofgranular odor-adsorbent material substantially covering, and secured to,at least one side of said web by said adhesive, said adhesive beingdevoid of any material for which said odor-adsorbent material has a highpreferential afiinity to prevent impairment to the odor-adsorbentcharacteristics of said odor-adsorbent material; and an outer layer offlexible, fibrous, fluid-pervious material covering said layer ofodor-adsorbent material.

2. The method of making a soft, pliable, odoradsorbent, sheet-like bodywhich comprises applying to at least one side of a flexible fabric sheeta permanently pliable adhesive in liquid form devoid of materials forwhich activated carbon has a high preferential affinity; dispersing saidadhesive over said sheet in relatively closely spaced but discreetareas; dispersing over at least one side of said sheet granulatedactivated carbon to cause individual granules of carbon to adhere to theareas of adhesive; and thereafter folding said sheet and carbon andplacing the same in an outer covering of soft, pliable, fluid-pervious,fibrous material.

3. A soft, pliable, sheet-like body for use as an odor-adsorbent mediumcomprising a flexible fluid-pervious woven sheet; a permanently pliableadhesive positioned in discreet areas on at least one side of saidsheet; a layer of granular activated carbon secured to said sheet bysaid adhesive, said sheet and layer of carbon being folded to provide aplurality of plies, said adhesive being free of materials for which saidcarbon has a high preferential aflinity to prevent impairment to theodor-adsorbent characteristics of said carbon; and an outer covering forsaid sheet and layer of carbon comprising a soft, pliable,fluid-pervious, fibrous material.

References Cited in the flle of this patent

1. A SOFT, PLIABLE, SHEET-LIKE BODY FOR USE AS AN ODOR-ADSORBENT MEDIUMCOMPRISING AN OPENMESH FLUID-PERVIOUS WEB OF FLEXIBLE ABSORBENTMATERIAL; A SUBSTANTIALLY PERMANENTLY FLEXIBLE ADHESIVE DISPOSED INDISCREET AREAS ON AT LEAST ONE SIDE OF SAID WEB AND ARRANGED TO PREVENTIMPAIRMENT TO THE FLUID-PERVIOUS QUALITY OF SAID WEB; A LAYER OFGRANULAR ODOR-ADSORBENT MATERIAL SUBSTANTIALLY COVERING, AND SECURED TO,AT LEAST ONE SIDE OF SAID WEB BY SAID ADHESIVE, SAID ADHESIVE BEINGDEVOID OF ANY MATERIAL FOR WHICH SAID ODOR-ADSORBENT MATERIAL HAS A HIGHPREFERENTIAL AFFINITY TO PREVENT IMPAIRMENT TO THE ODOR-ADSORBENTCHARACTERISTICS OF SAID ODOR-ADSORBENT MATERIAL; AND AN OUTER LAYER OFFLEXIBLE, FIBROUS, FLUID-PERVIOUS MATERIAL COVERING SAID LAYER OFODOR-ADSORBENT MATERIAL.